Many people (read: bosses, organisations) still think the web delivers virtually – without needing an investment in resources. But, you get what you pay for. If you don’t invest time and human resources into social media, you won’t get a measurable return on your investment. Organisations wouldn’t design a brochure without a designer. Build a website without a website developer. Put on an event without a venue and entertainment. So we must get them to move beyond the virtual to the reality about social media.
The success of social networking sites involves building a loyal following by:
1. regular posts or updates geared to an identifable target audience.
2. communicating news/information/updates in real time.
3. interacting.
This is all accomplished with a drip-drip effect – a little bit regularly. Admittedly this is in contrast to the print version of client communications, which generally involves one big wave of effort. But, if you want to go with the flow, you have to jump in with both feet, and be prepared to invest in social media.
Considering there are so many fantastic social media platforms out there for FREE; clients – existing and potential – appear hungry to be plugged into social networking sites; and the Web offers a reach, feedback and interactivity in a way no print product can, the ROI potential is big.
Groundswell evaluates an ROI on a blog measuring such things as Advertising value (visibility and traffic); PR value (press stories from blog content); word of mouth (referring posts).
If your organisation gets behind social media in the same way it gets behind advertising, marketing and customer service initiatives and provides the right amount of resources, you can reap the benefits of being a leader.
Key Advice Blog 
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